Thick Nhat Hanh ~ Discovering Your True Nature

This is a sample from the live lecture Thich Nhat Hanh Touching peace which you can find on the website betterlisten.com The heart of Buddhist practice is to generate our own presence in such a way that we can touch deeply the life that is here and available in every moment. We have to be here for ourselves; we have to be here for the people we love; we have to be here for life with all its wonders. The message of our Buddhist practice is simple and clear: “I am here for you.” In daily life, we are often lost in thought. We get lost in regrets about the past and fears about the future. We get lost in our plans, our anger, and our anxiety. At such moments, we cannot really be here for ourselves. We are not really here for life. Practice makes it possible for us to be free—to rid ourselves of these obstacles and establish ourselves firmly in the present moment. Practice gives us methods we can use to help us live fully in the present. Practice makes it possible for us to say, “I am here for you.” The Buddha said, “The past no longer exists, and the future is not yet here.” There is only a single moment in which we can truly be alive, and that is the present moment. Being present in the here and now is our practice. Hanh, Thich Nhat. You Are Here: Discovering the Magic of the Present Moment (pp. 25-26). Shambhala. Kindle Edition. #Buddhism #ThichNhatHanh #Inthepresent27